My favorite relative
by T'PeeJ
Summary: Meeting Kate's family
1. Default Chapter

DISCLAIMER: Navy NCIS is the properties of Belisarius Productions, Paramount Network Television, DPB (The second greatest being in the cosmos) and CBS.  
  
Kate's cell phone rang. Gibbs and Tony looked over at the woman. That thing never rang.  
  
"Hello?" answered Kate.  
  
"Kite?" replied a man's voice.  
  
"Digger?" asked Kate incredulously.  
  
"Where are you?" said the voice.  
  
"I'm at work; where are you?" asked Kate as she got up from her chair. She stood there, trying to keep from screaming out loud in excitement.  
  
"I'm standing out in your parking lot," said the man. "So where are you, Kite?"  
  
Kate started to move toward the big windows. She bumped into Tony and the young man hit the floor.  
  
"Kate?" said Tony in a mix of irritation and amusement. He slowly stood.  
  
Gibbs watched Kate as she paced back and forth before the window, peering outside impatiently.  
  
"I see you, Kite," said the man.  
  
"I will meet at the front door," said Kate as she bolted from the bullpen. She was out of there in a flash.  
  
"Where the hell is she going?" asked Tony.  
  
"I have no idea," said Gibbs. The man followed the woman down to main floor to see Kate hugging a Gunnery Sergeant.  
  
The man looked to be about Gibbs' age; his hair was turning gray. He was taller than Gibbs--Kate's feet weren't even touching the ground.  
  
"I can't believe you're here!" said Kate. "Does your mom know you're back?"  
  
"Not yet," said the man as he put Kate back on the floor. "I got off the transport and came straight here. I had to see you and your new job." Reaching out, the man touched Kate's nose with a finger.  
  
"Stop that," said Kate. "You know I hate that." Her reaction made the man laugh.  
  
"Kate," said Tony.  
  
Kate turned around to see Tony and Gibbs standing there. "Oh, good; there you are," said Kate.  
  
"What's going on out here?" called out Abby as she came out into the main lobby. "I just got a phone call that Kate was mugging a Marine.  
  
"Just in time, Abby," said Kate. "I was just going to introduce my cousin to those two. Now where the heck is Ducky?"  
  
The other three stood there waiting.  
  
"I want to introduce you to my cousin, Gunnery Sgt. Douglas Ingalls," said Kate. "Digger, I want you to meet my boss, Jethro Gibbs, and two of our team members, Tony DiNozzo and Abby Sciuto. There is one more to the group, but he isn't here, so I will track him down later."  
  
Douglas shook Gibbs and Tony's hands. "Kate, I do have to check in," he said regretfully, "but I want to make sure we meet up again sometime before hell freezes over-or by the time Mother stops yelling."  
  
"Okay," said Kate. "I can't believe you came here first. Your mom is going to murder me."  
  
"I think you're safe," said Douglas. "I don't think she'll come looking for you. She's still afraid of your gun."  
  
"There is that," said Kate. "You better go before you get into trouble."  
  
"Yeah, I know," said Douglas. "Digger and Kite back together again."  
  
"Lord have mercy on our souls!" said Kate with a laugh.  
  
Tony was trying to keep from laughing. "Kite?" said the man.  
  
Kate turned around and laughed at Tony. The rather larger Marine moved around his cousin and moved so he was standing in Tony's personal space was hard to miss.  
  
"No one calls her that but me," said Douglas. "Understand?" The man didn't raise his voice at all.  
  
Tony looked up at Douglas' face. "Yes," said the NCIS agent meekly.  
  
"Good," said Douglas as he moved away from Tony. "Kate, I'll call you when I get settled in. Don't go off on me."  
  
"Like I'm that crazy," said Kate.  
  
"All right," said Douglas. He waved at Kate and went out the door.  
  
"What the hell was that?" asked Abby. "I thought he was going to take Tony's head off!"  
  
"Oh, he would have," said Kate. "That is my favorite relative." She smiled as she watched Douglas get into the cab and drive off.  
  
"Um, Kate," said Tony. "Did he teach you how to shoot?"  
  
"Yes; that is why I like guns, Tony," said Kate. "Big guns." 


	2. Caitlin Rose

TITLE: My favorite relative-Caitlin Rose SUMMARY: Meeting more of Kate's family DISCLAIMER: Navy NCIS are the properties of Belisarius Productions, Paramount Network Television, DPB (The second greatest being in the cosmos) and CBS.  
  
It had been a while since Gibbs and his team had a weekend off. Gibbs went into the office on a Saturday, anyway. It would be quiet in there. He could get some paperwork done. He had been at it for a while when he started to get tired. Leaning back in his chair, Gibbs fell asleep.  
  
~~ Gibbs stood along a river. On one side was a town, not that he was worried about getting over to it. It was nice over here in the quiet wilderness.  
  
Turning around to look at the horses, Gibbs could see Kate taking something off her horse.  
  
"Now what is she up to?" said Gibbs. Sometimes that woman couldn't be trusted. She lived to surprise him—she loved it. Even though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he loved it too.  
  
Sitting down in the grass, Gibbs waited for her to get down here with him. He would have to start to frisk her before doing anything with her.  
  
"Gibbs," Kate called out.  
  
"Yeah," answered the man. He didn't turn around to look at her. He could describe her down to her toe polish or was fingernail polish on the toe? Not that it was that important to him which way it was.  
  
"We need to talk," said Kate.  
  
"What about, Kate?" said Gibbs? He was trying to keep from sounding irritated with her. Kate was the one who talked about the feelings. That wasn't Gibbs. He was fine with keeping things even and praying a lot. He knew that never worked--three marriages down the toilet proved that.  
  
"Umm," said Kate. Gibbs turned to face her when he saw the child coming toward them.  
  
"When did she get here?" asked Gibbs. He was so surprised to see the little girl that looked so much like Kate.  
  
"Just a bit ago," said Kate. "I'm sorry--I didn't get any advance warning either."  
  
The child started to run toward them and laughing that pure sound that only came from a happy child.  
~~ Gibbs jumped when the hand touched him. Sitting up in the chair, Gibbs saw the child from his dream standing next to him. "Hello," said Gibbs.  
  
"Hi," said the child.  
  
"Caitlin Rose," said Kate. "You didn't wake him up? I told you to leave him alone." Kate stepped around from her desk over to Gibbs' desk. "I'm sorry, Gibbs. I told her to leave you alone."  
  
"No--it's okay, Kate," said Gibbs. Looking down at the child, he could see Kate in this little person. "So who are you?" asked Gibbs of the child.  
  
"Cailin Rose Ingalls," the child replied promptly. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Jethro Gibbs," said Gibbs. "You were named after Kate?"  
  
"Uh-huh," said Caitlin Rose. "Do you work with Kate?"  
  
Gibbs smiled at Caitlin Rose. She was smart like Kate. "Yeah, I work with Kate," said Gibbs. "So what are you two doing today?"  
  
"Kate wants to do some drawings of me at the park," said Caitlin Rose.  
  
Kate stood nearby, watching the two. Gibbs noticed that Kate held one of her sketchpads. "That sounds like fun," said Gibbs.  
  
Kate noticed that when Gibbs talked to Caitlin Rose, his voice changed. It was softer then he spoke to Kate. The man was good with kids.  
  
"I'm sorry she woke you, Gibbs," said Kate. "I was trying to get her out of here before she did."  
  
"It's okay, Kate," said Gibbs. Gibbs reached over and lifted the child to the desk. "You are a very pretty little girl."  
  
Caitlin Rose started to laugh. It sounded as it did from the dream. "I like you, Jethro," said Caitlin Rose.  
  
"Well I like you too, Caitlin Rose," said Gibbs. "Isn't that a long name for such a small person?"  
  
"Daddy calls me K2 sometimes," said the little girl.  
  
Gibbs laughed. "K2?"  
  
"Yeah," said Caitlin Rose. "Since I'm the second Kate."  
  
"Oh," said Gibbs with laughter. "This must be Douglas' daughter then?" Kate nodded in affirmation.  
  
The little girl moved closer to Gibbs. "You want to go with us to the park?" asked Caitlin Rose.  
  
"Caitlin Rose!" said Kate. She couldn't believe that the child would ask something like that.  
  
"What?" asked the child? "I want Jethro to go with us. I like him."  
  
"You could've asked me first," said Kate. "Maybe Gibbs has plans for his day."  
  
"No, I don't have anything planed for the day, Kate," said Gibbs. "I don't mind spending it with a couple of beautiful ladies."  
  
Kate's eyes went big. Caitlin Rose cheered and jumped up and down on the desk.  
  
Pushing back the chair, Gibbs stood. He placed the child on the floor and took her hand. He smiled at Kate.  
  
~~  
  
Kate pulled her car into a space at the park. Gibbs got out of the car and unhooked Caitlin Rose from her car seat. Kate opened the other door and pulled out a large beach bag. She moved toward the front of the car. Gibbs and Caitlin Rose were waiting for her. The three moved into the play area.  
  
Caitlin Rose started to pull Gibbs toward the swings. "Please, Jethro," said the child. "Push me!"  
  
"Sure, K2," Gibbs replied, laughing at the child's antics.  
  
Kate sat at nearby picnic table. She pulled out her sketchpad and began to draw the two of them. As she watched them on the swings, she noticed that Gibbs was smiling from ear to ear. He seemed to be enjoying himself, which surprised Kate. She thought the only times he enjoyed himself were when a red-headed female was around or when he was working on a case or his boat.  
  
Gibbs kept Caitlin Rose busy on the swing for a while. Finally, he stopped the swing and helped the child down.  
  
Caitlin Rose ran over to Kate, "Can we hang out now?" asked the child.  
  
Kate smiled and looked at Gibbs. "Oh sure, we can," said Kate.  
  
Caitlin Rose cheered again. She turned and ran off toward the monkey bars.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Gibbs.  
  
"We're going to hang around with the kid," said Kate. "And when I say hang, I mean it. She wants to hang upside down with us from the monkey bars." Kate moved toward said equipment. She couldn't envision Gibbs doing this, but it would be fun to watch.  
  
Kate picked Caitlin Rose up and hooked the child's knees over a bar. She was now upside-down. Caitlin Rose laughed delightedly.  
  
Kate turned to see what Gibbs was doing. She saw, to her surprise, that he was already hanging by his knees on the high bars. He was even taller than Kate was. He was close enough to take Caitlin Rose's hand.  
  
Kate grabbed a bar and flipped herself up. She hooked her knees over it, and the three laughed. Kate grabbed the hem of her shirt before it revealed everything to the world. This made Gibbs laugh even harder.  
  
~~  
  
Later, Kate sat at a picnic table and worked on the sketch she had started earlier. She filled in some facial details on Caitlin Rose. Gibbs and K2 had gone for a walk. If Kate knew K2, she would be asking Gibbs all sorts of questions. That child acted older than her four years of age. Sometimes, Kate thought Caitlin Rose was actually the adult in the group and the rest of them were the kids.  
  
Kate hoped that Gibbs would tire the little darling so she could take her home and pour her into her little bed. Kate wasn't going to hold her breath on it, however. Caitlin Rose had a battery pack on her body somewhere, and no one had found it yet. Kate looked up and saw Gibbs and Caitlin Rose coming toward her, with a box. A rather large box.  
  
Kate's cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her jeans pocket and answered it. Looking up at Gibbs, she shook her head no at him. Gibbs and K2 walked slowly toward Kate.  
  
"Yeah, I have Caitlin Rose with me today," said Kate. She sat there listening to the other person, and then she started to laugh. "Thanks, Chase. I'll remember that."  
  
Kate listened to the Marine for a bit more. "Okay, I will pencil you in for then, and if nothing better comes along--AKA Harrison Ford--it's a date." Kate shook her head.  
  
"So is Kate going out with Gunny Sinclair?" asked Gibbs.  
  
"Dad's been trying to get them together," said K2. "Not sure why. Gunny Sinclair isn't her type."  
  
"Oh?" said Gibbs. "Who is Kate's type?"  
  
"Someone like you or my Dad," said Caitlin Rose. "But I've decided that I am going to marry you. She can't marry Dad, since he is her cousin, so will have to find someone for Kate to marry."  
  
'Did she just proclaim that she's going to marry me? Oooookay...' thought Gibbs.  
  
'She didn't say that her dad was married to her mother, either. Now that's strange. But am I making something out of nothing?'  
  
Kate hung up the phone.  
  
"Hey," said Gibbs.  
  
Caitlin started to laugh.  
  
"Hello," said Kate. "What are you two up too?" She gave them both a stern look. Not that it would work on either one.  
  
"Ummm," said K2.  
  
"Yeah, that's what I thought," said Kate. "How badly is it going to eat my socks?"  
  
Caitlin Rose started to laugh even more.  
  
"Promise, Kate," said Gibbs. "It won't eat a sock in a fifty-mile radius." Gibbs glanced over at Caitlin Rose. She had slid down and was lying on the bench part of the picnic table, laughing.  
  
"I trust both of you about as far as I can throw you," said Kate. She was trying to keep from smiling. It wasn't working. "Let's have it." Kate pointed down at the table.  
  
Gibbs put the box on the table. He took a step back. Caitlin Rose held out her hand to Gibbs and he helped her up. The child stepped away from the table as well.  
  
"If there is anything alive in here," said Kate, "you two are both going to be sorry."  
  
"There's nothing alive in there, Kate," said Gibbs.  
  
"Okay, fine," said Kate. She flipped back the flaps of the box. A balloon rose into the air. It didn't go far, though—a weight held it down. Flowers and butterflies decorated the balloon, and "Just because!" was written on it. Three teddy bears, which all looked alike, rested in the bottom of the box.  
  
"Caitlin wanted to get something to reminds of today," said Gibbs.  
  
Kate's jaw dropped. "You asked Gibbs to buy you something?"  
  
"No, Kate," said Gibbs. He picked up the little girl. He looked like he was willing to protect Caitlin Rose from Kate. "I asked her if she wanted to get you something like a balloon."  
  
"Caitlin Rose," said Kate.  
  
"I swear, Kate," said the child. Gibbs put the child down on the ground.  
  
"All right," said Kate. The woman still looked upset. "Then thank you, Gibbs."  
  
"Yeah, isn't he just the coolest next to you, Kate?" said Caitlin Rose. "I've decided that when I am old enough I am going to marry Gibbs." K2 reached up and took Gibbs hand.  
  
Kate started to laugh now. "Well, I will welcome you to the family now and hope you start praying that her father isn't going to kill you too badly," said Kate. "Let's go get some food. I'm getting cold and hungry."  
  
"Sounds good to me," said Gibbs.  
  
"Me too," called out Caitlin Rose. The three piled into Kate's car once more.  
  
Kate drove the car back to her apartment. Gibbs was out and getting K2 out of the back as Kate pulled her bag and the box out. Putting the box down, Kate pulled out her keys to the building and opened the door. Kate turned to grab the box off the ground, but Gibbs had it in his arms. He smiled at her.  
  
K2 ran over to the elevator and jumped to push the button. She got it on the first try. As they stood there waiting, K2 turned to Kate. "What is Jethro going to do?" asked the child.  
  
"Oh, I'm sure I can find a job for him to do," said Kate with a devilish smile on her face. Payback was fun. He bossed her around during the week, and now she had him in her domain.  
  
Gibbs gave Kate one of his patented 'looks', and Kate resisted the urge to laugh aloud. The elevator arrived, and the group stepped onto it. K2 pressed the button for Kate's floor.  
  
When the doors reopened, the three got off and walked the short distance to Kate's apartment. Kate put her key in and unlocked the door.  
  
Gibbs went in first and put the box down on the breakfast bar. He opened it up and got Kate's balloon out. Reaching back into the box, Gibbs pulled one of the teddy bears out. The bear wasn't very big, but it had silverish color hair on the top of it head and had a pair wire framed glasses on its nose. It wore a red vest--and that was all of its clothing. Gibbs handed a bear to K2 as she walked by. Caitlin Rose giggled, brought it up to her face, and whispered into the bear's ear. Gibbs slipped the next bear into his own pocket and reached in for the third bear. Gibbs moved around the front room to look at Kate's belongings. He saw a bear dressed like a ballet dancer. He placed his bear next to her bear.  
  
Kate placed her bag down and moved to the kitchen. She pulled a bag with some liquid in it out of the refrigerator. She reached down into the cupboard and got out two pans. The larger of the two was placed on a back burner, while the smaller was placed on a front burner. Kate pulled out a knife and cut the bag open. She poured the red stuff into a pan and turned the burner on low.  
  
"So what are we having for dinner?" asked Gibbs.  
  
"K2, tell him about it," called out Kate.  
  
Caitlin Rose laughed and moved closer to Gibbs. "Kate is fixing my favorite food in the world: spaghetti," said Caitlin Rose.  
  
"Really?" said Gibbs. "It's one of my favorites, too."  
  
"Kate has a killer sauce, Jethro," said K2. "She already cooked it up yesterday. She's warming it up now."  
  
"Oh," said Gibbs. "A killer sauce, Kate?"  
  
"Yeah, Gibbs," said Kate as she grabbed the bigger pot and filled it with water. "I could make Tony beg for more of my spaghetti."  
  
'You could make all of us beg for more of a lot of things, Kate,' thought Gibbs. "Really," said Gibbs.  
  
"Yup," said Kate.  
  
"I just bet," said Gibbs with a big smile on his face. He sat down on the sofa. Caitlin Rose sat down next to him.  
  
"Okay, work is needs to be done," called out Kate.  
  
"Taskmaster," said K2 to Gibbs.  
  
"Mean to ya?" asked Gibbs of the child.  
  
No," said Caitlin Rose. "That's what Daddy calls her because she says everyone should help with dinner. I'd rather sit out here and talk to you, though."  
  
"Well, it is her house and her rules," said Jethro. "So I guess we better find out what she wants done. Don't worry, if she's too mean to us, I'll be mean to her at work."  
  
"You'd do that for me?" asked Caitlin Rose.  
  
"Sure," said Gibbs. "You are going to marry when you are old enough, right?"  
  
"I am," said Caitlin Rose.  
  
"Hey, you two," said Kate from behind them. "Get your tushes in the kitchen and get to work, or you get no food." The two turn to look at over the top of the sofa.  
  
"We're coming, Kate," said Gibbs as they stood up and followed Kate into the kitchen.  
  
Kate pulled some plates out of the cupboard. She handed them to K2. The child turned toward the table. She placed the plates around three sides of the table. By the time K2 got back, Gibbs had the silverware in his hand was placing it around the plates. K2 was handed three glasses to put on the table. The child got them to the table and Gibbs helped her place them in the spots.  
  
"Do we want salad?" asked Kate.  
  
Gibbs looked at Caitlin Rose and then back at Kate. "I vote no," said Gibbs.  
  
"Me, too!" said K2.  
  
"Okay, no salad," said Kate. "I'll even pass on a veggie. I just want spaghetti and bread. Good with you two?"  
  
"Yeah," said Caitlin Rose.  
  
"Yeah," said Gibbs.  
  
"Good," said Kate as she took out the twisted breadsticks and placed them on the cookie sheets. The oven was heated as she worked with the bread. Once they were done, Kate moved back into the front room.  
  
Kate sat on the sofa, Gibbs and K2 close behind. Gibbs sat next to Kate, but K2 sat between them.  
  
Kate let out a breath. It was nice to just sit at home for once, even if her boss was sitting on the sofa with her.  
  
"Okay, K2, you can show Gibbs all your treasures," said Kate.  
  
"Goodie," squealed the child. She jumped up and stood there for a second. "I'll be right back." The child went running out of the room.  
  
"You know, Gibbs," said Kate. "You have stolen that child's heart." Kate smiled as she looked over at her boss, the same guy she, herself, had more than once had such dreams about at night.  
  
"Yeah, I do that sometimes," said Gibbs. He liked Kate's smile. It was times like this that Gibbs wished he could take Kate out and get her away from the office and get to know her better. "I won't hurt her as long as her father doesn't hurt me."  
  
Kate started to laugh.  
  
"Kate, I did want to ask you a bit of a personal question," said Gibbs.  
  
"Sure," said Kate. She tried not to hold her breath on this one.  
  
"Caitlin Rose made a strange statement earlier," said Gibbs. "That, or I'm reading more in to it then I should." Gibbs said it the way it came across to him. "Are her parents married?"  
  
"No, they aren't," said Kate. "Douglas won't marry Jean for some unknown reason."  
  
"Oh," said Gibbs. "What does he keep saying?"  
  
"That it isn't time yet to get married," said Kate. "What the hell does that mean?"  
  
Looking at Kate and replaying in his head what Caitlin Rose said about her Dad and Kate, Gibbs was getting some really bad ideas on his own. 'Don't go there, Jethro!' "Douglas loves Jean, but for some reason which he holds to himself, he wants to wait to marry her," said Gibbs. "I am not saying I agree with it, Kate. I think I would be a little angry about it, myself. What surprises me is that Caitlin Rose knows about it."  
  
"Well, sometimes the little dear," said Kate, "likes to be where she isn't supposed to be. I think you could get her a job at NCIS in a few years."  
  
That made Gibbs laugh. To have Kate and Caitlin Rose working at NCIS would make work and life interesting to say the least.  
  
The bedroom door opened up, and Caitlin Rose came out wearing a dance outfit that made her look like a sunflower.  
  
"What do you think, Jethro?" asked Caitlin Rose.  
  
"You look wonderful," said Gibbs. "Are you taking dance like Kate?"  
  
Kate got up from the sofa and moved back into the kitchen.  
  
"Yes," said the child. "I want to be as good as Katie, me darling!"  
  
Gibbs started to laugh again. "You call her 'Katie me darling?" asked Gibbs as he leaned in close to the child.  
  
"Not to her face," said the child. "I want to live to see my fifth birthday."  
  
"Oh," said Gibbs. "Well, I will keep your secret for you, then."  
  
"Thank you, Jethro," said Caitlin Rose.  
  
~~  
  
Kate moved around the kitchen, checking on the bread in the oven and the water in the spaghetti pot.  
  
'Caitlin Rose gets to call Gibbs Jethro and I don't,' thought Kate. 'How fair is that?'  
  
Getting out the angel hair spaghetti, Kate started to break the pasta in half. The water was finally was boiling now, and Kate put the pasta in the water. Getting out her pasta spoon, Kate was stirring the pasta when the landline rang.  
  
Moving over to the phone, Kate picked it up and saw Gibbs turned to face her.  
  
"Hello," said Kate. "Hey, Digger!"  
  
"It's Dad," called out K2.  
  
"Oh, just fixing Spaghetti with meat sauce for me and Caitlin Rose and Gibbs," said Kate, moving back to the stove to watch the pasta.  
  
Gibbs stood up and watched Kate. For some reason, something told him to watch Kate. The woman went stiff.  
  
Kate moved back to the counter and put down the phone. She didn't say a word, just went back to the stove and stirred the pasta. Gibbs could tell her jaw had locked. Something was wrong.  
  
"Hey," called out Kate.  
  
"Yeah," said Gibbs.  
  
"Caitlin, go and change out of that outfit and then we can eat," called Kate.  
  
"All right," said the child. She went back into Kate's bedroom and shut the door.  
  
Gibbs moved into the kitchen with Kate. "What's up?" asked Gibbs.  
  
"Douglas is being an ass," said Kate. "It's not important." She moved to a cupboard and pulled out a strainer. She placed it in the sink and moved back to the stove. Kate picked up the pasta spoon and snagged a string of pasta. She popped it in her mouth to test it. Satisfied it was ready, she smiled and carried the pan to the sink.  
  
"What did Douglas say to you, Kate?" asked Gibbs in a low voice--almost the tone he took with Caitlin.  
  
Kate poured the pasta into the strainer and put the pan down on the other side of the sink. She turned to look at Gibbs. She was clearly not happy. "That we better not be screwing around with his kid here with us," said Kate.  
  
"I am sure that wasn't what he really said," said Gibbs.  
  
"No, but it's close enough," said Kate.  
  
"Why would Douglas ever think like that about someone you work with?" asked Gibbs.  
  
"I have no idea, Gibbs," said Kate as she turned back around and sprayed water over the pasta and moved it back into the cooking pan. Going back to the stove, Kate took the pan with the sauce in it and poured it over the pasta. "Caitlin, dinner is ready."  
  
Gibbs reached over and took the pan before Kate could. He carried it out to the table and placed it on a wood block in the center of the table.  
  
Kate followed Gibbs with the pasta spoon out to the table.  
  
Caitlin came out of the bedroom wearing the clothes she played in; she moved to the head of the table and sat down. Gibbs just smiled at the child.  
  
"Caitlin always sits at the head of my table," said Kate. "I think someone forgot to tell the rest of the world that she is queen of the cosmos!"  
  
Gibbs started to laugh again. It felt good to laugh this much.  
  
"Though sitting at the head of the table also means she has to say grace too," said Kate.  
  
Kate and Gibbs sat down at the table. Gibbs wasn't sure what was going to happen now. Caitlin held her hands out to Kate and Gibbs.  
  
Kate took the child's hand and reached out for Gibbs hand. Gibbs took it and Caitlin's hand too.  
  
"Thank you for this food," said Caitlin. "Thank you for the wonderful day. Thank you for letting Jethro come out and play with us."  
  
Kate lifted an eyebrow at the child. She was going off the wandering around with the grace. Caitlin smiled at Kate and then at Jethro.  
  
The adults shook their head and said nothing to Caitlin Rose.  
  
"So let's eat," said K2.  
  
"Oh, brother," said Kate.  
  
"Come on, Kate," said Gibbs. "Grace is for giving thanks. There are no set rules on how it is done."  
  
"There are at our house, isn't there, Caitlin?" said Kate.  
  
"Yes," said the child.  
  
"Don't worry," said Kate. "I won't tell if you don't tell."  
  
"I sure won't, Kate," said Caitlin.  
  
Gibbs took his plate and put some spaghetti on it and handed it to Caitlin. The child handed her plate to Gibbs and started to eat. "How much do you want, Kate?" asked Gibbs.  
  
"Two scoops will do for now," said Kate as she picked up her plate to give to Gibbs.  
  
Kate took the plate offered to her, and Gibbs dished some food out for himself. Gibbs saw how much Caitlin liked the spaghetti, so he had high hopes for it himself. He wound some spaghetti on his fork and lifted it to his mouth. Gibbs was surprised by the taste--it was wonderful. There were two different types of meat in the sauce. Gibbs was enjoying this home- cooked meal.  
  
"Very good, Kate," said Gibbs. "This is great spaghetti--and Tony would beg for this."  
  
Kate started to laugh. Well, at least she did get one complement out of Gibbs before she died.  
  
Caitlin came up for air and spoke. "Guess what Mom and Dad are talking about?"  
  
"Caitlin, this better not be gossip," said Kate.  
  
"No, I don't think it's gossip," said the child. "I did hear them talking about it, but that's all."  
  
"Then what is it?" said Kate.  
  
"They're thinking of having another baby," said Caitlin with a big smile.  
  
Kate dropped her fork. She just stared at the child.  
  
"Kate, are you all right?" asked Gibbs.  
  
"I'm fine, Gibbs," said Kate. "Oh my, I forgot the bread sticks." Kate jumped up and hurried into the kitchen. She came back with a basket full of breadsticks and a container of butter. "Sorry," said Kate as she sat down and started to eat again.  
  
Gibbs just watched Kate the rest of the time. Something the child said had upset Kate. He wasn't sure what it was.  
  
~~  
  
The three of them went into the kitchen and started to clean up after they had eaten. It didn't take long before the dishes were done and put away. The leftovers were in the fridge.  
  
"Well, campers," said Kate, "it's time to get everyone back to where they belong. So go get your stuff, Caitlin. Gibbs and I are going to drop you off at your house, and then I'll take my boss back to the office."  
  
"Okay, Kate," said the child as she went off to the bedroom again.  
  
Kate stood in the front room rubbing her eyes. There was this massive migraine headache waiting to kill her.  
  
"Kate, are you all right?" asked Gibbs.  
  
"Yeah, I just have this migraine coming on," said Kate. "I'll survive it long enough to get you back to the office. The reason we're going to drop her off first is to keep Douglas from yelling at me. You're my escape plan."  
  
"Do you want me to drive and let you rest?" said Gibbs.  
  
"Sure," said Kate. Moving over to the table, Kate wrote down driving direction to Digger's house, and handed them to Gibbs. The man looked them over, then folded the paper and put it in his pocket.  
  
Caitlin came out with a little tote bag; it had a dancer on it. "I'm ready," said the child.  
  
"Well, then let's go," said Gibbs. "I'm going to drive, since Kate isn't feeling well. She told me how to get to your place."  
  
"Cool," said Caitlin.  
  
Kate handed the keys to Gibbs, and he locked up after them.  
  
Gibbs put Caitlin Rose in the car seat and buckled her in. Kate just got in on the passenger side of her car. It was a little strange to be sitting on that side of her car.  
  
Gibbs got in and drove to Digger's house without once getting the directions out again. Kate was impressed with her boss.  
  
Once at the Ingalls' house, Kate got out of the car and unhooked Caitlin. The child ran around the car and up into the yard. Kate removed the bag from the back, and she and Gibbs walked up to the front door.  
  
Kate rang the doorbell; her head was pounding by now. Digger opened the door and frowned at Gibbs.  
  
"Hey, pumpkin," said Douglas to his daughter.  
  
"Hi Dad," said the little girl as she was swallowed up into her father's arms.  
  
"Did you have fun with Kate?" asked Douglas.  
  
"Always, Dad," said Caitlin. "Do you know Jethro?"  
  
Pulling Caitlin back a bit from him, Douglas stared at her. "I know Mr. Gibbs," said Douglas. "You shouldn't be calling him by his first name."  
  
"I told her she could," said Gibbs.  
  
"Well, I won't allow it," said Douglas. "He is Mr. Gibbs, Caitlin Rose."  
  
"Yes, Daddy," said the child. Her lower lip stuck out.  
  
"We have to go," said Kate. "I need to get to bed--I have this migraine coming on; and Gibbs has to get back to his car."  
  
Douglas gave his cousin a disapproving look. "All right," said the Marine. "I will talk to you later."  
  
"Yeah, Digger," said Kate. She turned, moved back to the car. She really wasn't in the mood to listen to Digger go on about his problem with Gibbs or whatever else man she was going out with or he thought she was going out with.  
  
Gibbs unlocked the car and the two got in. Kate leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. Gibbs watched Kate as she fell asleep during the drive back to the office. She looked at peace, but every once in a while she had a look of pain on her face.  
  
"I am not doing this again for you, Digger," said Kate in her sleep.  
  
Gibbs parked Kate's car next to his. He reached over and touched Kate's arm. Kate's eyes opened, and she looked like she didn't know where she was.  
  
"You okay, Kate?" asked Gibbs.  
  
"Hmmm, yeah," said Kate. "Thanks for putting up with me and the munchkin."  
  
"It was fun, Kate," said Gibbs. "I haven't played in the park like that in years. Let me tell you, since Heck was a pup."  
  
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," said Kate. She opened the car door and moved to the other side.  
  
"Kate," said Gibbs. "I'm going to follow you back home. I don't like that you have this migraine."  
  
"Thanks, Gibbs," said Kate. She got behind the wheel and waited for Gibbs to get in his car.  
  
Gibbs followed Kate all the way back to the apartment. Pulling up beside the car, Gibbs rolled down the window. "Go in and take something for your head, Kate," said Gibbs. "Then go lay down. You'll feel better in the morning."  
  
"All right," said Kate. "I'll see you on Monday morning, then?"  
  
"Yeah. You rest," said Gibbs. He rolled up the window and drove home.  
  
Gibbs didn't notice the white SUV follow him from Kate's apartment to his house. The car sat outside Gibbs' place for an hour, and then drove away. 


	3. Millie and Jean

TITLE: My favorite relative-Millie and Jean  
  
FANDOM: Navy NCIS  
  
RATING: So G  
  
Spoilers: none  
  
ARCHIVE: Sure, but let me know where.  
  
SUMMARY: Meeting Kate's family  
  
DISCLAIMER: Navy NCIS is the properties of Belisarius Productions, Paramount Network Television, DPB (The second greatest being in the cosmos) and CBS.  
  
Kate was taking pictures of the crime scene. A Marine had been killed when he had saved a woman from being shot during a purse snatching. The Alexandria Police had called them in to work their side of the case.  
  
Tony was doing the sketching and Gibbs was taking measurements. Ducky was doing his job, but he was doing it much quieter since Gerald wasn't out of rehab yet.  
  
"Excuse me, officer," said a woman from the crowd.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ma'am," said the Alexandria police office. "This is a crime scene. You can't come through here."  
  
"But we have to," said the woman. "That car you have taped off is our car. We have to get home and get the baby down for a nap."  
  
Kate stopped taking pictures and moved behind Tony so she couldn't be seen. She recognized the voice of the woman as her aunt.  
  
"Hey, Jethro," called out Caitlin Rose to Gibbs when she saw him. Gibbs leaned toward Ducky and said something quietly. The doctor covered the body so the child couldn't see it.  
  
"K2," called back Gibbs. "Look, Kate..." Gibbs turned to see a hateful look on Agent Todd's face.  
  
Kate step out from around Tony to see her Aunt Millie, Caitlin Rose, and Jean, Douglas' SO. "Hello," said Kate to her family.  
  
"Kate," called Caitlin Rose. The child waved at Kate and Gibbs.  
  
Kate smiled. She looked back at Gibbs with a look that clearly said, 'Kill me now.' She turned back to the women and moved toward them.  
  
"Your car is going to be stuck for a while, Aunt Millie. We have to get some evidence off of it before we can release it."  
  
"What happened here Kate," asked Jean?  
  
"I can't really go into it right now, Jean," said Kate. "I'm sorry."  
  
Tony leaned over to Gibbs. "Does that woman look a lot like Kate or I am I just seeing things?" asked Tony. The two women could be twins. Kate was two inches taller then the other woman. The hair was the same color, but Kate's hair was longer. They smiled the same way. The only other difference was Jean was several years older then Kate.  
  
Ducky looked at the women too. "Oh, yes, the two could be sisters," said the doctor. "Don't you think so, Jethro?"  
  
"Yeah," said Gibbs. That funny feeling Gibbs got when the two of them had taken Caitlin Rose home just popped back up. He still couldn't understand what was going on yet.  
  
"Can I come over and see Jethro?" asked Caitlin Rose.  
  
"No, honey," said Kate. "This is our crime scene, and we have to keep people out of here until we get all of the evidence bagged up."  
  
"Oh," said the child. "When would you tell him to come over when he gets a minute to talk to me?"  
  
Kate smiled down at the little girl. "Sure, K2," said Kate, moving back to the others. "Hey, Gibbs, your future wife wants to talk to you when you get a free moment."  
  
"Okay, Kate," said Gibbs as he went back to measuring.  
  
"Umm," said Tony. "Kate, did I just hear you say Gibbs' 'future wife'?"  
  
"Yes; please tell me I am not hearing things, Jethro?" said Ducky.  
  
"Yes, Kate said my future wife," said Gibbs with laughter. "I went out with Kate and her younger cousin one Saturday. She asked me to marry her when she got old enough."  
  
Tony looked over at Ducky to make sure he had understood the statement. Ducky returned the look. Now they were both lost somewhere in that statement. Ducky would find out what the heck that meant from Jethro.  
  
Gibbs and Kate just smiled at them both. If they wanted anything more on the story, then the two of they would have to ask about it.  
  
When it was time to move the body, Gibbs had the almost everyone stand between them and Caitlin Rose, so when it was moved to the gurney and taken to the truck, she didn't see a thing. Millie had Caitlin Rose turned away to make sure she didn't see the body.  
  
Kate had moved over to her cousin's SUV. She took pictures of the blood that was on the side of it. She then started to take swabs of the blood.  
  
"Caitlin, dear," said Aunt Millie from the other side of the taped-off area, but in front of the SUV. "Jean called Douglas, and he is coming to get us. Is it all right if I reach over and hand you the keys?"  
  
Kate moved closer to her mother's only sister. When she did, her gun came into view of Aunt Millie.  
  
"Oh, dear," said the older woman. "You are wearing your gun."  
  
"Yes, Ma'am, she is," said Gibbs as he walked over to Kate. He handed Kate a few more baggies. "We all carry our guns when on duty."  
  
"You must be Mr. Gibbs," said Aunt Millie. Looking up at the man, Millie knew why Douglas looked down on him. "Douglas and Caitlin Rose have told me about you." The woman looked Gibbs up and down. She had inspected, detected and rejected the man in front of her. He wasn't good enough to speak to, as far as Millie was concerned.  
  
"That I am, ma'am," said Gibbs. He was getting some kind of enjoyment out of pissing this woman off. "Like your son, Douglas, I was a Marine before I joined NCIS."  
  
"Well, Douglas didn't tell me that," said Aunt Millie, a little surprised by the statement. How could someone like him be a Marine just like her Douglas?  
  
Gibbs' cell phone rang. "Gibbs," he answered, walking away from the ladies. Kate turned back to her aunt.  
  
"Yes, if you really want to give me the keys," said Kate. "You can, but I don't think we're going to have it for much longer. I need to do a couple more things, and I'll talk to Gibbs about it."  
  
"All right, dear," said Aunt Millie. She kept the keys and moved back over to Jean and K2. "Kate said she would talk to her Gibbs about getting the car released."  
  
"Oh, dear," said Jean. "Maybe I shouldn't have called Douglas then."  
  
"Don't worry about it, dear," said Millie. "Douglas will get the car for us. He has Kate wrapped around his fingers. She will do whatever he wants her to do."  
  
"Mother," said Jean. "Kate can't just release the car without Mr. Gibbs' okay. He is the boss. I swear, you and Douglas are taking this dislike for anyone Kate works with too far. You don't even know them."  
  
Millie gave her soon-to-be daughter-in-law a dirty look.  
  
Kate moved back to the side of the vehicle and got down on her knees to check along side the SUV. Kate would turn around occasionally to check on Gibbs, to see if he was off the phone yet.  
  
Douglas parked his white SUV down the street from the taped-off area. Getting out of the car, he walked back to the crime scene. "Mom," called out Douglas.  
  
"Here, dear," said Millie.  
  
Kate's head popped over the hood of the SUV. "Hey, Digger," said Kate.  
  
"Hey, Kite," said Digger. "What have you gotten my car involved with?" he asked, giving Kite a playful stern look.  
  
"Well, I took it for a joyride and parked it and left it here for your family to figure out," said Kate with a laugh.  
  
"Caitlin," said Ducky. "We are going to leave now." Arlington Police had given the body to Ducky to autopsy.  
  
"Oh, okay, Ducky," said Kate. "But I want you to meet my cousin Douglas first."  
  
Both Kate and Ducky came under the tape and pulled off their gloves. Ducky stuffed his in his pockets and Kate did the same in her pocket.  
  
"Douglas, this is our medical examiner, Doctor Donald Mallard," said Kate. "This is the one I didn't introduce you to before at NCIS."  
  
Ducky put his hand out to shake Douglas' hand. Douglas hand came up and shook the Doctor's hand.  
  
"Ducky," said Kate. "This is my favorite cousin, Douglas Ingalls."  
  
"It's an honor to meet you, sir," said Ducky. "These lovely ladies are related to you, Caitlin?"  
  
Kate smiled at Ducky. "Yes; I would like you to meet my Aunt Millie--she is Douglas' mother," said Kate. "And my Mom's only sister. This is Douglas' fiancé, Jean, and their daughter, Caitlin Rose."  
  
"Well, it is always my pleasure to meet such beautiful women," said Ducky.  
  
Kate kept from laughing out loud. Ducky just won every one over in the group. Now if Gibbs or Tony could have done that too.  
  
"Likewise," said Douglas. "Kate has told me that you have done almost everything under the sun, and all of it legal."  
  
"Well, that is a bit stretching it," said Ducky. "But almost true. I really have to get back to the office." Nodding at the group, Ducky turned and got into the truck with the body and drove away with it.  
  
"Kate," said Tony from the other side of the rope.  
  
"Sorry, I have to get back to work," said Kate. "Hang tight for a couple of minutes. Depending on what Gibbs says to the question I am going to ask him, you will know when you can have the car back."  
  
"All right," said Douglas.  
  
Kate moved back to the other side of the tape. "Gibbs," said Kate.  
  
"Well, nice of you to join us," said Gibbs. Kate smiled and shook her head.  
  
"I'm sorry," said Kate. "But my family wants to know when they can have their car back."  
  
"When we're done with it, Kate," said Gibbs. "You know that." Gibbs reached up and rubbed his forehead. His stomach was starting to hurt, and it didn't help that Douglas was here. Gibbs saw the man standing next to his snotty Mother.  
  
"Yes, Gibbs, I do," said Kate, "but I wanted to tell you I took the swabs of blood off the car."  
  
'One more thing to hate about the man,' thought Digger. 'He smarts off when he doesn't have to.' Digger heard what Gibbs had said to Kate. 'It's a good thing that this one is her boss and she can't get into his pants like Kerry's. Now I just have to worry about the other doofus. Now that Chase is FINALLY going out with Kate, maybe she will not have to worry about those other two at all!'  
  
"Douglas, dear," said his mother.  
  
"Yes, Mom," said Digger.  
  
"Is this going to take long?" said his mom. "Caitlin hasn't had her nap this afternoon."  
  
"I don't know, Mom," said Douglas. "We're just going to have wait and see what Kate and her boss say."  
  
"Oh, dear," said Millie. "By the way, Caitlin called Mr. Gibbs Jethro when we saw him the first time."  
  
"I'll talk to her about it, Mom," said Digger. "I told her once she couldn't call him by his first name."  
  
"All right, dear," said Millie. She couldn't understand why Douglas so lax with his child. She was never that lax with Douglas or his sister.  
  
Gibbs and Kate moved over to the SUV and looking at it some more.  
  
"You took a swab of all of them," said Gibbs.  
  
"I took two of each in case you say Douglas can take the car," said Kate.  
  
Gibbs just stood there lost in thought. He looked at SUV and the blood splatter and where the Marines body ended up. Something wasn't right, but Gibbs knew it had nothing to do with the crime scene.  
  
"OK, Kate," said Gibbs. "Your family can take the car now. As long as you are sure you took swabs of everything twice."  
  
"Great," said Kate. "I will let them know." The agent moved back to the edge of the sideway. "Douglas, you can take the car home now."  
  
"Thanks, Kate," said Douglas.  
  
Tony came over and helped Kate pick up the tape so the women could get into the car without breaking the tape. They were still working on the crime scene.  
  
Gibbs moved over to K2. "Hey, I'm sorry that I couldn't talk to you," said Gibbs.  
  
"That is okay, Mr. Gibbs," said K2 as she looked over at her father and then her grandma. "I understand your work is important."  
  
Gibbs smiled at the child and reached over and touched the top of her head. Caitlin Rose laughed at Gibbs.  
  
"Come, K2," said Douglas as he comes toward the child.  
  
"Okay, Dad," said the child. Lifting her up into his arms, Douglas walked away with her to the car. He put her into the back seat and strapped her into the car seat.  
  
Jean and Millie got into the SUV and drove away. Douglas walked back down the street to his SUV.  
  
"So, Kate," said Tony. "Is your family always such pains in the butt?"  
  
"Aren't all families, Tony?" said Kate.  
  
"Okay, you have me on that one," said Tony.  
  
"Hello," said Gibbs. "Working a case here, people; we need to find a killer." The older man walked away from Tony and Kate.  
  
They smiled at each other and followed Gibbs back to the work. 


End file.
